BILL NUMBER: SCR 17	CHAPTERED  07/16/99

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   61
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   JULY 16, 1999
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   JULY 12, 1999
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   MAY 27, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   MAY 25, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Schiff
   (Coauthors: Senators Brulte, Costa, Karnette, Lewis, O'Connell,
Polanco, Rainey, and Wright)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alquist, Briggs, Campbell, Cardenas,
Honda, House, Kuehl, Leach, Leonard, Longville, Robert Pacheco,
Shelley, and Zettel)

                        FEBRUARY 19, 1999

   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 17--Relative to the Gene Autry
Memorial Interchange.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 17, Schiff.  The Gene Autry Memorial Interchange.
   This measure would designate the freeway interchange at the
juncture of Interstate Highway Route 5 and State Highway Route 134,
commonly referred to as the Ventura Freeway, the Gene Autry Memorial
Interchange.  The measure also would request the Department of
Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing
this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.




   WHEREAS, The passing, on October 2, 1998, of Mr. Orvon Gene Autry,
the singing cowboy superstar of the silver screen, media
entrepreneur, and original owner of the Anaheim Angels, has brought
immense sorrow and loss to people throughout the State of California,
the nation, and the world; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry was born on September 29, 1907, in Tioga,
Texas, at five years of age, he began singing in the church choir,
and at 12 years of age, he was taught to play the guitar by his
mother; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry, America's first and favorite singing cowboy,
contributed extensively to the people of the state through his many
activities; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry's more than 60-year career encompassed every
facet of the entertainment business, from radio and recording artist
to motion picture star, television star, broadcast executive, and
major league baseball owner; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry is the only entertainer to have five stars on
Hollywood's Walk of Fame, one each for radio, records, movies,
television, and live theater, including rodeo performances; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry began his radio career in 1928, made his first
recordings one year later, and by 1937 was America's Favorite
Cowboy; he was voted the No. 1 western star by the theater exhibitors
of America ; and by 1940, he placed fourth in Motion Picture Herald'
s annual poll of all stars in terms of box office drawing power at
the nation's theaters; and
   WHEREAS, In addition to his success in movies, Gene Autry
continued on radio until 1956; he became the first major movie star
to enter the television medium in 1950 ; and for the next five years,
he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry
Show, and produced several popular television series; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry appeared in 94 feature films and made 635
recordings, 200 of which he wrote or cowrote, and some of his
best-known movies are based on his hit records; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry's records have sold more than 60 million
copies, and he received over a dozen gold records, including the
first record ever certified gold for over a million copies sold,
"That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine"; another, "Be Honest With Me," was
nominated for an Academy Award; and his Christmas and children's
records, "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Peter Cottontail," went
platinum for over two million copies sold, and the second all-time
best-selling single, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," boasts over 30
million in sales; and
   WHEREAS, Gene Autry's great love for baseball prompted him to
acquire the American League California Angels in 1961; and
   WHEREAS, A long-cherished dream came true with the opening, in
November 1988, of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, which
features exhibitions of important historical artifacts and
significant works of art, covering a timespan from prehistoric native
cultures to the present day; and the museum has been renamed the
Autry Museum of Western Heritage; and
   WHEREAS, In 1993, he was the subject of Biography on the Arts and
Entertainment Cable Network, and in late 1994, he appeared in the
American Movie Classics television special, "Gene Autry: Melody of
the West"; and
   WHEREAS, Included among Gene Autry's many honors and awards is the
National Cowboy Hall of Fame induction, the Songwriters Guild Life
Achievement Award, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Humanitarian of the
Year Award, all tributes to a man whose natural talent, personal
integrity, sincerity of character, and concern for the well-being of
his fellow man have been of inestimable value to, and revered by,
admiring fans and friends throughout the world; and
   WHEREAS, The high esteem in which Gene Autry is held by his loving
family, his numerous friends, and other individuals fortunate enough
to have known him stands as a testament for others who strive for
the best in life, and his memory will live forever in the hearts and
minds of those people who knew him; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
freeway interchange at the juncture of Interstate Highway Route 5 and
State Highway Route 134, commonly referred to as the Ventura
Freeway, as the Gene Autry Memorial Interchange, in honor and in
recognition of Gene Autry; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers, consistent
with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing
this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources covering that cost, to erect those plaques and markers; and
be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for
distribution.
